Folding structure



June 28, 1932. I w. c. RASTETTER FOLDING STRUCTURE Filed April '22. 1930 T nfd 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 June 28, 1932. w. c. RASTETTER 1,365,139

FOLDING STRUCTURE Filed April 22. 1930 Z Sheets-Sheet 2 j? INVENTOR.

BY ATTORNEY.

Patented June 28, 1932 WILLIAM CHARLES RASTETTER, OF FORT WAYNE, INDIANA FOLDING STRUCTURE Application filed April 22,

This invention relates to improvements in folding structures, and the object thereof is to afford a conveniencesuch as a chair or other article so constructed as to permit being collapsed and stored conveniently in space more restricted than when it is in use.

Another object is to provide a collapsible structure wit-h its parts united pivotally by means so constructed as to obviate that tendency of .the connections between said parts to become loose which usually occurs in other foldin structures havin sliding connections.

An lllustrative embo iment of the invention is shown by the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is .a side elevation in section of a chair in which the invention is embodied, the chair being in extended position;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation of the structure pro ected from Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevation of the structure in folded position.

The chair shown in the drawin is provided with a back composed of vertically disposed side members 1 spaced apart, and upon which are secured cross-pieces 2 and 3 connected to ether by a back-rest 4. The lower ends of tfie side members 1 are connected together and held in spaced relation with each other by means of a transverse rod 5.

A seat 6 having forwardly divergent side members 7 is pivotally related with said back so as to be folded upwardly against the front of the back in a plane parallel therewith, there being provided a curved bracket 8 secured to the inner face of each frame member 7 and pivoted to the inner face of the corresponding side member 1 as indicated by 9.

The seat has secured therein two transversely disposed seat rods 10 and 11 spaced apart. Upon the rearmost rod 10 is hingedly secured between the side members 7 of the seat a rear leg structure consisting of rear legs 12 and a cross-brace 13 connecting said legs, said rear legs being held by said cross brace so as to extend divergently downward from their hinged connection on the rod 10. Upon the foremost transverse rod 11 is hingedly secured a front leg structure consisting of front legs 14 spaced apart and secured to- 1930. Serial No. 446,278.

gether by a cross-brace 15. Each front leg 14 has an extension 16 that projects from its upper end and affords support for a corresponding arm-rest 17, there being provided a bracket 18 secured to the under face of said C5 arm-rest hingedly connecting said extension and the arm-rest. The rear end of each armrest 17 is pivoted to the corresponding side member 1 of the back against the outer face thereof as indicated by 19. The extension 16 on each front leg 14 is offset outwardly with respect to the lower part of the leg, and the correspondin arm-rest 17 is also curved outwardly from its rear end, which arrangement affords space between the extensions and armrests that is wider than the front of the seat 6 which renders the chair commodious when extended for use, and also permits the armrests to be folded into the plane of the back.

In some respects the structure here dis- 7 closed bears similarity to that set forth in my pievious application Sr. No. 433,634, filed arch 6, 1930, for folding arm chairs, but is distinguishable therefrom in other respects.

In the present instance, the rear le S and 76 w front legs are hingedly connected with the seat separately upon correspondin transversel disposed rods 10 and 11 which are spaced apart. Also, the frame of the seat 6 is wider at the front than at its rear end 80 where it corresponds with the width of the back at the point of its connection therewith, and furthermore, the distance between the front legs 14 at the point where they are pivotally connected with the seat corresponds substantially with the width of the seat, while the distance between the extensions 16 on the front legs is materially greater than the width of the seat. By this arrangement the folding structure has the appearance of 99 compactness both when extended for use and when folded.

As in my' said former application, the lower end of the back is operatively related with the rear legs 12 through a pair of links atively related with the front legs 14 through no a pair of links 22 which are hingedly connected at their rear ends on the rod 5 and pivotally connected at their opposite ends to the corresponding front legs. The rod 5, by having contact with the rear faces of the rear legs 12 limits the unfolding movement thereof, and the spread of the front and rear legs, when unfolded, is limited by the links 22.

The arrangement of the folding parts in the present structure are such as permit of proportioning the seat 6, the arms 17 and the links 22 so as to have greater lengths than shown in the illustrative embodiment of the invention, without affecting the operativeness of the structure. By lengthening the seat, the arms and the links 22 the structure may be made to partake of the characteristics of a chaise-longue without altering the operative relation between the various folding parts.

I claim:

1. A folding structure including a back having side members; a seat having a frame pivoted at its rear end to said members; a seat rod extending transversely through said frame at a point adjacent the front end thereof; a second seat rod extending transversely through said frame at a point spaced rearwardly from the other seat-rod; front legs pivoted on the forwardmost of said seat rods external with respect to said seat, each of said legs having an outwardly ofi'set extension projecting upwardly therefrom armrests pivotally connected near their front ends respectively with the tops of said extensions and also pivotally connected at their rear ends with said back members; a transverse rod connecting the lower ends of said members engageable with said rear legs; a pair of links connecting said transverse rod and said rear legs; and another pair of links ponnecting said transverse rod and said front egs.

2. A folding structure including a back having side members; a seat having a frame pivoted at said members; front and rear legs pivoted respectively at oints spaced from the correspondin ends of the seat frame, the sides of which rame are res ctively disposed in planes that extend etween said front and rear legs, said front legs having upwardly projectin extensions that are offset outwardly from t e lower portions of said front legs; arm-rests ivoted to said members at their rear ends an having hingedconnections respectively with said extensions adjacent their front endsa transverse rod connecting the lower ends of said members engageable with the backs of said rear legs; and separate link connections between said transverse rod and said legs.

8. A folding structure including a back member; a seat pivoted to said member, the front end of which seat is wider than the rear end thereof; front and rear legs; means pivotally connectin said rear legs to the seat at a point space from the rear end thereof; means pivotally connecting said front le s to said seat at a point spaced forwardly from the pivotal connections of the rear legs of said seat, said front legs being spaced apart a distance corresponding with the seat at the points of their pivotal connections therewith; 

